Eavesdrop on the Secret Sounds of Nature with Darjeeling Tour

Naturally beautiful destinations in India have always been on my wish-list to visit places. Last month, I jumped at the opportunity to visit Darjeeling, a heavenly destination in India. This beautiful destination of North India proved a great combo of mesmerizing snowfalls, enchanting lakes and dense forests.

Darjeeling Tours

Started from the capital city of Delhi, I with two of my colleagues-Richard and Samuel left for a desiderata experience. As we chose the option of going by train, we had a lot of time to discuss of must visit places. Samuel and Richard did it fabulously and we were all set to explore the various facets of Darjeeling tour. Soon, we were in Darjeeling and moved towards the hotel that we already booked.

Charmed by the beauty of hill station, I was simply spell-bound when entered Darjeeling. Snuggled in the rolling Himalayan Mountains, Darjeeling is a quaint hill station in India. Offering fascinating views of the hills, the clouds in the land seem playing hide and seek with the sun.

Next morning we were off to view the sunrise at the famous Tiger Hills. The very sight of sunrise left me with an invigorating feel. Making ways through the pitch darkness, the sun rays seem like distributing the blessings of God.

At last, I could not resist myself to visit Ghoom monastery, which has always been a key attraction to me. Built in the Tibetan style, Ghoom houses a graceful statue of Maitreya Buddha, which is around 15-feet high.

The monastery positions itself around eight km away from Darjeeling. Besides the statue, we could also see the images of Buddha’s disciples, Chenrezi and Chongapa. Based on our experience, I must say that this peaceful place fills your heart with tranquility and divinity.

My wish to board Darjeeling Toy Train left me restless and we all left for a joyous ride. We boarded from New Jalpaiguri and enjoyed this exciting ride around 3 to 4 hours. This 2 feet narrow-gauge Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.

Passing through varying terrain is itself a different experience. It also provided us the opportunity to see Batasia Loop, another feat of engineering.

Victoria Falls became another part of our exploration. Gushing down to the valley through deep ravines from around 100 ft, that wonderful waterfall just took away my heart with its picturesque beauty.

Darjeeling Tea Gardens

Our next day started with a visit to Happy Valley Tea Gardens, another attraction in Darjeeling. The view of the gardens itself fills my heart with a refreshing feel that would last for long time. The guide who was accompanying us shared his knowledge about the garden. He told us that the garden houses the bushes that are around 80 years old. Samuel was very much interested in observing the processing of the tea leaves at nearby factories while Richard plucked and kept few tea leaves safely with him.

Next morning, Samuel insisted us to go for a ride through Darjeeling Passenger Rope way. I with Richard joined him for that ride at Darjeeling travel that was an ultimate adventure.

Starting at North Point that is 3 km from town, this ropeway is around 5 km long and links Darjeeling with Singla Bazaar. While passing over Ranjit River at the bottom of the valley, I transported to another world, where all I could enjoy was the breathtaking views of the fascinating surroundings.

The memorable Darjeeling tour concluded yet Darjeeling Tea that we shopped was reminding me of the delightful moments that we spent there.

Top 7 Destinations Offering the Most Happening Beaches in India

Sun, Sand, Surf, Sea, Shells, Sea-food and much more- the quiet, clean and unspoiled Indian beaches offer you the perfect destinations for honeymoon, fun, joy and relieving yourself from day-to-day stress. The setting of beaches in India is striking enough to take your breath away. While enjoying beach holidays in India, one can enjoy the best of water sports (parasailing, dolphin sightseeing trips, surfing, water scootering etc.), spend romantic evenings in beach shacks and camps, or go for the loud night parties in beachside bars and clubs.

Kerala Beach

Be it family beach holidays in India or a trip with friends or even a wonderful honeymoon tour, the 6000 km long coastline of India lets you to cherish the best moments of your life. The seven India states/union territories offering a few of the best beaches of the world are:

• Goa Beaches
• Kerala Backwaters
• Lakshadweep
• Orissa
• Tamil Nadu
• Andaman and Nicobar
• Daman and Diu

When it comes to exploring the backwaters, staying in houseboats (Kettuvalloms), enjoying the best of water sports, relishing the authentic sea-food with feni (local alcoholic drink), indulging in loud trance parties or getting a different look by tanning your skin – Goa beaches and Kerala beaches top the chart. Apart from that, beaches in Tamil Nadu, Lakshadweep and Andaman-Nicobar are also frequented for relaxing holidays and spending quality time with friends, family or your partner.

Some of the hottest picks are Anjuna, Baga, Palolem and Dona Paula beaches of Goa; Bangaram beach of Lakhshadweep; Kovalam, Varkala and Marari beaches of Kerala; Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu; and Gokarna in Karnataka.

Beaches in India are counted among the most exotic beaches of the world. Plan an Indian beach holiday to the wonderful 6000 km long coastline and enjoy the calm breeze under the swaying palm and coconut trees. Indian beaches are best in terms of offering pleasant climate throughout the year.

Drop in the “Land of Passes” to Catch Sight of Ladakh Attractions

Located in Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh is a must visit destination in India. Surrounded by two majestic mountain ranges, this beautiful land attracts many tourists every year. Ladakh tours also beckon adventure lovers from all over the world. With Ladakh attractions, you can also enjoy cultural tours, trekking and the cold desert expedition, river rafting, monastery visits and lots more.

Inviting tourists from far and wide, the beautiful attractions of Ladakh include:

Monastery in Ladakhs

Monasteries

Known as 'Gompa', monasteries are among the most popular attractions of Ladakh Tour. Many tourists visit Ladakh to see the well-retained Buddhist cultural heritage in these historic monasteries. These offer a deep insight on the Buddhist religion as well. A rich collection of Buddhist artifacts is available in these Gompas. Besides artifacts, visitors can also have the glimpses of sculptures, murals, Buddha idols and Thangka paintings. Some of the most famous monasteries in Ladakh include Lamayuru, Lekir, Thiksey, Alchi and Rizong.

Lakes

Ladakh is a home to the beautiful lakes, which make it a perfect place for honeymooners. As highest temperature hovers near 50 degress at a time, everything in Ladakh freezes. Major valleys like Indus and Zanskar become extensive highways of ice. The wonderful lakes like Pangong, Chandertaal Lake, Tso Morari and Tso Kar-White Lake also freeze to a depth of several meters. Tourists visiting Ladakh for the first time will surely get a mesmerizing experience.

Festivals

The unique festivals of Leh and Ladakh are the highlight of Ladakh tourism. To witness these events, tourists reserve a place in advance. These festivals are lively and colourful. Many festivals take place in winters. The monastic festivals are the heart of these festivals. Performed by monks, wearing colourful silk clothes and facial masks, these colourful events are a part of the living art of Ladakh. Celebrated in May, Hemis Gompa is the most popular festival of Ladakh. Tourists can enjoy vibrant dances in this festival.

Adventure

Adventure in Ladakh is a great fun. Endowed with an impressive geographical location, the land has a rocky terrain, higher mountain passes, vast expanses of grasslands and mountain streams. Its topography makes it a popular destination to enjoy different adventurous activities like rafting in Ladakh. During your Leh Ladakh travel, you can enjoy camping, trekking, cycling, river rafting, mountain climbing, motor biking, camel safari and even yak safari. Trekking in Ladakh ranges from short as well as day long mountain treks. 

Leh Palace, Shanti Stupa, Zanskar Valley and Nubra Valley are the other must-visit places in your Ladakh sightseeing.

On your India tour, you can also visit the fantastic Ladakh Attractions that include monasteries, valleys, lakes and lots more. If you love adventure, raftingin Ladakh will be a great fun for you.

Biking for Limitless Adventure-Ladakh!

Ladakh Biking Tours

Wroom wroom that goes high of exciting visit when to name about Ladakh biking tour. With an immense intention to accelerate my passion to drive long, I as a Delhiite ought to potter around the country, such as I had moved to Ladakh with rider' group last month. Truly the road to heaven on the earth Ladakh makes available superb biking conditions, limitless descents, and maximum of-road potential for the die-hard adventure lovers.

Thereby packed with all commodities to drive, we were set to ride for Adventure Tour Ladakh. As I heard a lot about beauty of Ladakh, I geared for Ladakh with my rider group. I fell in love with Ladakh. So I really felt bad while leaving the place. I never liked coming back from Adventure Bike Tours and go back to boring life of city.

The beauty of landscapes, roads, terrains, monasteries, Army convoys and simplicity of people was spread wherever sight went. I stopped at many places to click photographs. In four to five hours ride, we started to get the unparalleled beauty of its barren stretches of land, lush green patches, gurgling streams & rivers.

In Ladakh, we experienced the godly presence with so many attractive Buddhist Gompas on the route while Motorbiking through small but very beautiful local villages that are at the backdrop of the snow-coated Himalayan mountain ranges. Here I would help explaining you that you can ride through the 1500 km road from Manali to Leh. The route takes one on a Zigzag course through the snaky turns of the Himalayan Roads.

Adventure Bike Tours

Besides all these, lunch at small village in dhaba with their indigenous was superb food. Dhabawala served us the lunch with Himalayan food & beverages that gave me a taste to remember ever. After long day performances of Ladakh Mountain Biking, we checked in hotel to rest. On next day we decided to make our mountain biking in Ladakh an enchanting experience.

The Leh road, which comes identified as the Army Road was built mostly for protection motives to supply the Indian armed forces in the far-flung regions of Ladakh. We met an army man who told us about the war at Kargil and other important incidents that soaked all our hearts in great patriotism. Truly Ladakh is an address to adventure-telling region but is famous most among mountain bikers.

Trekking in Ladakh is fulsome of adventure biking spots, such as Nimu, Alchi, Lamayuru, Himiskut, Mulbekh, Kargil, Suru Valley and Parkachik. So make your next trek for the places I have mentioned above to indulge with more scenic beauty of Ladakh. The best time for Ladakh motorbike tours in Ladakh befalls from mid June to September end.  At last I am to tell you have a must-ride for Ladakh biking tour that will leave you as me sharing my valuable moments with you all.

Treat Your Eyes with Wildlife and Adventure with Sariska National Park

Let me begin this unforgettable experience of my visit to Jaipur with the mention of the 'Pink City'. This wonderful state of Rajasthan truly epitomizes the vibrant colors of the royal state.

Visit Sariskas

Well, it was my surprising visit to Jaipur with my cousin, Shadrick who had a wish to visit India. Based on our mutual consent, we decided to explore Rajasthan. Choosing this tour package from a variety of India Tours, he got exhilarated.

 Shadrick is a great wildlife lover and so am I. So, we decided to visit Sariska National Park. From Delhi, we reached Jaipur by air. After making ourselves comfy at Sariska Palace, we were all set to encounter the wildlife species. 

Shadrick could not resist sharing his excitement to see tigers with me. Soon, we found our destination- Sariska National Park. It lies around 110 km from Jaipur and is situated in Alwar. While we were seeking entry in the park, we were asked to show our ID proofs. After completing the formalities, we entered.

On that very moment, we realized that apart from the wildlife species, the park had so much to be witnessed and discovered. Though taking an excursion first to the park was Shadrick's decision, yet I did not have to regret on it.

The guide who accompanied us on our India tour, told us that the Park is larger than other Project Tiger Parks in India. Covering an area of around 850 sq km, it was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1958 and later declared a national park in 1979. Now the park is a part of Project Tiger Scheme.

We embarked on a jeep safari on this Wildlife Tour because this was the best way to view the wildlife as well as for wildlife photography within the sanctuary as well.

Sariska has varied topography encompassing grasslands, cliffs, rock landscape and dry deciduous forests. Moreover, I was surprised to watch that the Aravalli mountain ranges enveloped the park, covering with dense forests. As we moved ahead, we could come across the sights of langurs, nilgais and a variety of birds. There were many other places of historical interest, surrounding the park.

After some time, we got a chance to see Leopard, Civets Hyena, Wild Dog, Jackal and Jungle Cat. I could not hold back my excitement and shared it with Shadrick, who was still waiting for the sight of tigers. Amongst the birds, we could spot different birds like Peafowl, Spur fowl, Jungle fowl and the Grey partridge. While Shadrick was busy in closely watching the wildlife, I was not missing any picture that can be shot at that moment.

We were eagerly waiting to see the tiger and the guide told us that we had to wait with patience as it should not have disturb them. Green pigeon, Crested serpent eagle and the great Indian horned owl were other birds, we could come across.

To my surprise, we could spot the tigers at last. My cousin was almost elated to see the tigers. I also participated in his joyful mood by clicking the most-awaited site of tiger.

Sariska Neelkanth Templess

Fascinated by a memorable stay at a popular wildlife resort in India, we were delighted throughout the tour. We wanted to explore more. On being contacted our guide, we got to know some other nearby popular places. We decided to go and reached The Kanakwari Fort. Holding sheer historic importance, this was built years ago.

Another wonderful place, we visited was Neelkanth Temples, located within the sanctuary. It offered us a different experience by visiting these temples, which refreshed our mood and the tiredness that we had that time.

We loved the jungle safari, which we started from the entrance of the park. Though the safari concluded, yet we were not able to come out of the playful mood.

Listen to Your Soul amidst a Divine Ambiance on Ladakh Monastery Tour

Dotted with countless historic monasteries, Ladakh is a destination that fascinates me a lot. It is my dream destination. The beautiful hills, scenic locations, high mountains and above all ancient 'Gompas' or monasteries have always allured me.

Thiksey Gompa

Working with an organization where employee satisfaction is an important goal, I got an opportunity to visit Ladakh with my co-workers. We, a team of five members were given the privilege to collect the information about Ladakh Monasteries. Feeling ourselves delighted, we jumped at it and started our Ladakh Monastery Tour.

I am very fond of visiting religious places as the tranquility of these holy spots energizes my inner self. Ladakh tour was already like making my dream come true and monastery tour was just like a feather in the cap. With high hopes, we left from Delhi and reached Ladakh by flight. For that very day, we were left free to enjoy the mesmerizing charm of the place.

Next day, we all were very excited to experience the tranquil ambiance of Gompas. Situated on a hillock, Shey Gompa was the first monastery, we visited. Lying at a distance of around 15 km to the south of Leh town, the monastery houses a beautiful image of Buddha Shalyamuni. While we were looking at the image, I found some of my team members were so stunned that they were not even blinking their eyes. Perhaps, it was the magic of this hug image of the seated Buddha and the way it has been constructed beautifully with the metal. Glided with gold, the Buddha statue simply looks outstanding. We bow our head in front of Buddha statue where a large bowl of wax with a central flame was kept.

After paying our regards, we left for Thiskey Gompa. Situated around 18 km from Leh town, Thiksey Gompa is a beautiful monastery. We were surprised to see a temple-Lakhang Nyerma, which was inside the monastery. Dedicated to Goddess Dorje Chenmo, the temple was standing mostly in ruins but it was worth spending time. There were many other holy shrines that attracted us and left us mesmerized. We were amazed to know that it also houses a rich collection of artifacts and ancient relics. On visiting the monastery, we got to know that sacred dance organized annually in the monastery, an important part of Gustor ritual.

Hemis Monastery was the next attraction of our exploration. Based on my experience, I would not hesitate to say that it is the biggest monastery of Ladakh. Standing gracefully on the Western bank of Indus river, the monastery also has a rich collection of old relics. The famous Hemis festival is also celebrated here, which is an annual affair.

Likir Gompa

Later we visited Stok Palace, which is the royal residence of the king of Stok. It also houses a museum, showcasing the royal artifacts, prayer instruments and precious stones. Some of my colleagues found it the best way to come across Buddhist life style and culture. We came back to the booked hotel and took rest overnight amidst all the comforts.

Next morning, after breakfast, we left for Likir Gompa. Lying atop a windy cliff, the beautiful village of Likir just took away our heart. Still, I am not ready to believe that a village can be so fascinating. Famed for its outdoor, tall and seated Buddha, the Likir monastery was the next part of our visit. After that, we were all set to cross the river Indus and we did it joyfully. Zanskar also unites into Indus at a point.

We moved towards the Spituk Gompa, which is located on the hill-top near the river. The monastery is famous for its annual event-The Spituk Festival. The curiosity to the most heard Lamayuru monastery simply could not stop us. This monastery is the oldest gompa of the region. I found it so outstanding that I could not help insisting my team mates to spend some more time there and they agreed. Sankar Gompa, Phugtal Gompa and Alchi Gompa were the other monasteries, we visited during our Ladakh Monastery tour.

With a heavy heart, we bid goodbye to Ladakh but with a promise to come again!

Solving Mystery of History with Royal Rajasthan on Wheels - Part II

During this tour we also covered Sawai Madhopur and Jodhpur, the two other important destinations of India. Each of the destinations offered a different experience. We explored Mehrangarh Fort, Moti Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, Phool Mahal, Sileh Khana and Daulat Khana. We also visited Umaid Bhawan. We have read enough about these places and even we had been there earlier also but visiting these places by Royal Rajasthan on Wheels was a fairy-tale experience. We were feeling like princesses who were travelling from our one palace to another and Royal Rajasthan on Wheels was our royal caravan.

Moti Mahal

After Rajasthan, the train moved towards Madhya Pradesh, the heart of India. Located in almost middle of the country, Madhya Pradesh was new for us. We had never been to this beautiful state. After spending another night in that moving palace, we were in Khajuraho temples. Fine architecture of these temples made us wonder that without any technology and tools how did they carve such amazing sculptures? Although we were exploring the amazing temples of Kahjuraho yet I was missing the luxury on board. I was not able to understand what was the magic that was dragging me towards train. I guess it was luxury and the decoration. Exclusive Bar, Spa Facilities, Personalized Services, Splendid Saloons, Royal Decoration and Personalized Attendant, all these facilities were not allowing me to concentrate on the world outside the train.

As we boarded the train, I got that princely feel again. I could not realize that I was even behaving in a royal manner. Suddenly Heena made me realize that we were on the train just for a week. I was a bit low after realizing the fact that five days of the tour were over. I did not notice when I fell asleep in the cozy beds of the train. I woke up in the morning. Heena told me that she could not sleep due to the luxurious environment as she was living there as a dream.

Agra Fort

The moment we got down in Varanasi, we felt that no combination can be better than travelling in luxury to the Varanasi. Calm ambience and enchantment of mantras took my heart away. I did not know why but Varanasi was always on my list of must visit places. After stepping in the holy region I could realize that there lies a heaven on the earth. We visited different Ghats and temples there and all of them were amazing. A whole day in spiritual aura was not allowing us to leave the place but finally luxury of the Royal Rajasthan on Wheels won and we were back on the train.

Next destination was Agra, the land that houses the symbol of love. A full day in the city made me realize that the love of these emperors was also royal like them. Gloriously standing Taj Mahal is the evidence of the fact. We explored Fatehpur Sikri and Agra Fort as well. Finally, we left for Delhi. The tour was about to over and we were not in a mood to step out of this world class luxury.

On Sunday, we de-boarded the train early morning. It was really hard for us to come out of that luxury experience but we had to. There was no choice. Soon, we would be planning another luxury train tour.